The Return of the Heartless
by SilverWolf742
Summary: Takes place after the end of KH1. The door to darkness has been reopened, and Sora must again stop the Heartless with Kairi, who is chosen to be a Keyblade master. It's better than it sounds, so please read and review. My first fanfic.
1. Destiny Awaits

**A/T: Please review! I would like to know what you guys think...no harsh criticism though. I appreciate compliments and constructive critisism.**

**Note: I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own Kingdom** **Hearts.**

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The sun was golden with a brilliant array of colors, from a bright yellow to a rustic red. Kairi squinted in the light of the setting sun as she woke from an apparently unconscious state. Her large blue eyes fluttered for a second in the light as her mind took in her surroundings. She thought in confusion 'Destiny Island? But how? And Sora...where could he be?', she thought, worry creasing her face as she abruptly sat up. At that moment it all came back to her. The door, its concealment, and drifting away from Sora, just watching, watching as he grew farther and farther away. After that, everything had went blank.

She was at the edge of the beach, the gentle ocean waves splashing delicately at her bare feet, burying them in the moist sand. And there she sat reminiscing on what she would do now...alone...without Sora. But was she alone? It was that thought that compelled her to get up and begin a long, arduous search for anyone, anything, just any sign of life on Destiny Island. It was then Kairi's ears tuned in to a sound, the scuffing of feet across sand. Kairi turned around, and she gasped as her eyes went wide.

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Sora had followed Pluto all the way to a majestic kingdom on the far edge of a lush green valley with Goofy and Donald. He was gasping for breath by the time Pluto stopped, his thin tail wagging furiously and his smug face satisfied by having been such an annoyance. Pluto stopped at the doorstep to the colossal structure that was the castle, set down the letter he had been holding in his mouth at the door, and calmly slid into the castle through a dog door carved into the majestic double doors at the main entrance to the castle. Sora glared with annoyance at the yellow dog, and then glanced over at his companions, Donald and Goofy, who were equally as exhausted as he had been.

"We followed that stupid dog only for him to lead us here, leave the letter, and walk inside? Aren't either of you even slightly annoyed by that?" Sora stated, clearly irritated. Goofy shrugged nonchalantly, apparently unphased. Goofy glanced up at the massive structure before him, and a look of surprise crossed his face.

"It's King Mickey's castle!" Goofy stated excitedly. "King Mickey must be inside! Let's go in, Sora!" As Donald viewed the castle, the usually grumpy duck became rather antsy with anticipation, as excited as Goofy was upon seeing their home. Viewing their reactions, Sora quickly forgot about his own annoyance and turned his attention to the castle. With a smile on his face, he gestured to his companions to follow him.

"Let's go, guys. King Mickey just has to be inside." Donald and Goofy nodded in approval.

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Kairi stepped back slowly as the creature approached her. A hoofed animal, it looked massive in the shadows formed by the tall, slender palm trees overhead. As the animal entered the dim light, its form became visible. It was that of a large, white horse, whose height was nearly three feet above Kairi. It was rippled with lean muscle, and a majestic pale blue mane flowed from its neck to just above its shoulders. Even more amazing, the horse-like animal had two large, feathery wings folded at its sides.

Kairi took a few more steps back as the creature advanced, speechless at the sight of such an animal. The winged horse abruptly paused, stared at Kairi with its large blue eyes, and set something down in the soft, cooling sand that it had been carrying in its mouth. Kairi had been so mesmerized by the creature itself that she had hardly noticed that it had been carrying something. She shifted her gaze to the rather large object, and then back to the horse's mesmerizing eyes. The horse scraped the sand near the object with its hoof, and then followed with a quick snort, as if gesturing for Kairi to go to it. Still somewhat suspicious of the creature, she bent down in the sand to examine the object, though still not taking her eyes completely off of the horse. She took a closer a look at it. It was about four feet long and three inches thick. At first Kairi thought it was a broom, but as she scrutinized it, she realized it was anything but. It had pinkish tinge to it, and it shone in the little light of the sun that left. At one end of it was a handle in the shape of a heart. At the other, was a key shape. Kairi gasped. It was a keyblade.


	2. Fate Unfolds

As Donald and Goofy pried open the castle doors and began to go inside, Goofy looked back at Sora.

"Aren't ya comin, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, just give me a second guys," Sora said as he glanced at the letter Pluto had been holding that was now at his feet. Goofy and Donald proceeded, while Sora bent over and picked up the somewhat crumpled envelope. To Sora's distaste, it still had remnants of dog drool sticking to it. Sora removed the letter from its envelope and unfolded it to reveal handwriting that looked rather rushed and sloppy. Sora began to decipher what it said:

Sora,

I guess we both thought that the heartless were vanquished. It turns out we were terribly mistaken. After the door had been sealed, I had been able to break free of Kingdom Hearts unharmed. Shortly after, however, I was captured by the heartless. I am still uncertain as to how the door could have been reopened and the darkness allowed to come through, but it did, and now I am at the mercy of the most terrible beings you can imagine. I am unsure of their leader, but I know that if they aren't stopped my fate will surely not be positive. I need you, the Keyblade Master, and your companions to vanquish the darkness, for you are one of the chosen ones who can seal the door to the darkness permanently. I must end now, for I do not have much time before the heartless return to check on me. Please do not fail me, for my life may depend on it.

King Mickey

Sora stood paralyzed for a moment as he surveyed the letter repeatedly, making sure that he hadn't just imagined what he read. His mind took a few minutes to absorb the meaning of the letter in his shocked state. 'The Heartless? But how? How!' Sora thought. He had been there, he had seen the door seal. 'How could the Heartless have broken free?' he wondered. Even more bewildering, Sora continually skimmed the line '_**one**_ of the chose one_**s**_'.

"What does King Mickey mean by that?" Sora wondered aloud.

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Kairi was speechless at the sight of a keyblade. She glanced up at the Pegasus, which stared at her expectantly. She looked into its sparkling eyes.

"I-Is this...for me?" she asked it. The animal grunted, appearing to be completely capable of understanding human speech. It bent its head to the keyblade, nudging it closer to Kairi. Understanding what it wanted, Kairi grasped its heart-shaped handle and rose to her feet. The keyblade felt light in her hand, and she swung it awkwardly back and forth. The feeling of the keyblade felt new to her, but was a good feeling. The blade sliced through the air easily, and Kairi felt as if the blade was an extension of her arm, as if she could manipulate it just as easily as any of her limbs. She returned her gaze to the Pegasus, which nodded in approval. It was then that it unfurled its great, beautiful wings and hoisted itself into the air, flying off into the now dark and starry sky. Kairi watched the beautiful animal go, its flowing mane blowing back in the breeze and its wings flapping, carrying it to a world unknown. Kairi then held her keyblade in both hands, its pinkish color strongly visible in the dim moonlight. The keyblade appeared to have a spirit of its own, an entity inside it that made it appear to glow and pulsate with a yet untapped power. As Kairi held the weapon in her arms, she realized she still had so many questions that were yet unanswered.

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As Sora was lost in thought, Goofy and Donald came back to him hurriedly, bombarding him with a barrage of shouts and scrambled words. Sora glanced back and forth from Goofy to Donald, taken entirely by surprise.

"Both of you stop!" Sora shouted. Goofy and Donald were silenced immediately. "Now calmly–and slowly–tell me what the problem is," Sora stated.

"King Mickey never returned to the castle!" Goofy shouted. 'So much for calmly,' Sora thought.

"Daisy and Queen Minnie are terrified! The whole castle is! All of them fear that the Heartless have returned!" Donald exclaimed, unable to conceal the fear in his large, expressive eyes. Sora stared at them for a moment, knowing that what he had read in King Mickey's letter had been confirmed. Holding out the letter, Sora stated

"Guys, I think you should take a look at this."


	3. Conflict

Kairi awoke the next morning thinking that the previous night's events had been somehow imagined by her drowsy mind. But when she realized she had been sleeping in the sand and saw the keyblade lying next to her, glistening in the morning sun, she knew that this notion was far from the truth. And then the confusion befell her once again, and a whirlwind of questions flooded her mind. 'Why was this given to me?' she thought, running her hands over the smooth surface of the blade. It seemed to have a warmth to it, as if it was alive, Kairi mused. 'Is this keyblade truly mine? Or was this precious object given to the wrong person? If it is truly mine...then why was it given to me? It must mean...' Kairi clapped her hand to her mouth, almost afraid to complete her own thought.

"That the Heartless have returned," she said aloud. It was the thought of the Heartless that brought her to thoughts of Sora. Kairi was suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed with emotion. A combination of nostalgia and sadness for Sora overtook her, and her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes. She had missed Sora deeply. She wanted to see his face once more. She wanted to see him smile, to laugh, to hear his voice. She wanted him in her arms so badly. Then the thought came to her. She would see Sora again. She had a keyblade, and she remembered that Sora did as well. This was destiny, she realized. They were to stop the Heartless. Together.

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Donald and Goofy stared at Sora solemnly, knowing what may lie ahead of them. At first they had been in disbelief, under the same impression as Sora had been, convinced that Heartless could not have possibly returned. But the proof was right in front of them, and as they absorbed the content of Mickey's letter, they knew it was true.

"What are we going to do now?" Donald asked in his nasally voice, breaking the silence that had befallen the trio.

"There's only one thing we can do. We have to stop the Heartless. We can't let King Mickey down!" Sora said, determination growing in his voice. "Goofy, do you think the Gummi Ship is still here?"

"I think it is, Sora. I'll go find out now,"Goofy replied obediently, as he dashed back through the doors of the castle. Goofy had always been obedient. He had been faithful to Sora through everything, never failing him, and that's what Sora had liked about Goofy since the beginning. He was a true friend. Just like Kairi.

Sora, too, was thinking about Kairi just as Kairi had been thinking about him. She had been dominating his mind since the moment they were separated, and he wondered where she could have possibly ended up. 'Is she safe?' he wondered. More importantly, he thought, was she happy? It seemed to him that when in Kairi's presence, he cared more for her safety than his own. He cared if Kairi was happy even more so than if he was happy. Shockingly, Sora realized that he was only truly happy, only truly at peace with himself, when Kairi was with him; safe and content. For a few moments, Sora stood in his place, still; motionless. His eyes fixated straight ahead of him, just lost in the moment...just thinking, and remembering...Kairi.

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Kairi strolled along the edge of the beach, the small ocean waves washing over her feet. With her keyblade in hand, she began to search the island, planning her next move, while continuing her search for anyone on the island. She couldn't be the only one on the island, could she? She wasn't truly alone, was she? As she walked she quickly forgot the purpose of her search...lost in the beauty of the day. The warm, bright sun splayed across the white, pearly sand, making it glisten and sparkle with a magic all its own. The ocean was a brilliant blue, but at the same time crystal clear. Small, colorful fish could be seen darting to through the water, and Kairi remembered how they always used to make her so happy...so happy when Sora had been with her and had chased them in a futile attempt to catch just one for Kairi. How Kairi longed for those times again.

"Kairi!" came a shout from behind her. The voice shook her from her thoughts, and she quickly whirled around. It was Riku.

Riku was running towards her, his silver hair blown back in the gentle, warm breeze. He stopped just a few inches from her.

"Kairi! I thought you were gone...that you disappeared. I've been looking for you everywhere," Riku stated, a clear look of both concern and relief in his eyes. For a moment Kairi was speechless. She was glad to see a familiar face, and yet she felt like she had drifted so far away from him...as if he had never really been a large part of her life at all. It was a crude thing to think, but at that moment, that was how she really felt.

"I thought I was alone on this island...that everyone was gone," she said to him, not really with much emotion. Riku briefly embraced her in his muscular arms.

"It's okay now, Kairi. We're together again. We can start our lives over...," he quickly trailed off. His eyes were drawn to the keyblade. Riku's face went from an expression of shock to disbelief to, surprisingly, a semblance of anger. "A keyblade...Kairi, where did you get that? How could you possibly...," his words came out mixed and jarbled. Riku did not know how to react to this unexpected turn of events.

"It's mine, Riku. I-I found it," Kairi lied. What would he say if she told him a Pegasus had given it to her?

"But you can't have a keyblade...Sora is the keyblade master...not you. You couldn't possibly be..." Riku continued to struggle to get his feelings out. "Kairi, if you've found a keyblade, it must mean that..."

"The Heartless have returned," Kairi finished.

"Kairi, you have to get rid of that. Do you realize what could happen if the heartless discovered you had a keyblade? You could get hurt. Kairi, and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt," Riku stated, apparently in desperation to push Kairi to give up the keyblade.

"I know, Riku. I know what could happen. I want this keyblade, and I want to help to stop the Heartless," Kairi replied.

"No, Kairi," Riku said more forcefully. "I can't let you keep it. You'll get hurt. I can't let you be hurt." Riku reached for her keyblade. Kairi quickly jerked her arm away from him.

"No!" Her eyes narrowed. "What about what_ I_ want, Riku? Did you ever consider that?" Riku gritted his teeth slightly. He grabbed her arm tightly, and again tried to pull the keyblade from her grasp. "I said NO!" At that moment, a change came over Kairi. With strength that was not her own, she pushed Riku forcefully away from her, knocking him to the ground. He looked up at her in shock, scarcely believing she was able to overpower him. Kairi's keyblade was glowing a bright red, glowing with a power that had begun to be unleashed. Kairi looked down at it in shock. "Riku, I'm keeping this blade. It came to me for a reason. It is my destiny. You do not control me, Riku. I make my own decisions, and nothing will ever change that." With an air of confidence and determination about her, Kairi walked off, leaving Riku still on the ground, still in a state of shock and bewilderment.


	4. Encounter

Mere moments later, Goofy emerged from the colossal castle, entirely out of breath. Sora quickly came out of his trance, and faced him, eager to hear what Goofy had to say.

"The Gummi Ship is still here, Sora," Goofy stated. "But there's a problem." Sora's eyes were drawn to the ground as two small furry creatures, barely six inches tall, appeared from behind Goofy's long, gangly legs. They were rustic brown in color with a lighter, tan underbelly. It was the chipmunk duo, Chip and Dale. Their small, chestnut colored eyes stared up at Sora. Chip took a few baby steps forward. He opened his small mouth to speak.

"When the Gummi Ship mysteriously came back to us after the door was sealed, we had installed new features into it. If the Heartless ever did come back, we wanted to know about it. After studying the Heartless, we put in a device that would sense the dark auras of the Heartless. We had thought it was broken...the device never turned on. But recently it has been operable, and it detected Heartless auras at Destiny Island," the chipmunk stated in his high, squeaky voice. Sora was speechless. 'Was Kairi there?' he thought. 'Was Riku?' In fear that his friends would be harmed should they be there, Sora quickly got over his shocked state.

"We have to go to Destiny Island. Now." The Chip nodded quickly, gesturing to the trio to follow him. With that, he scampered off to lead the way to the Gummi Ship.

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Kairi was both satisfied and angry at once. She was appalled at Riku's ignorance of her emotions, scarcely able to believe he would behave in that manner. But she was also rather content at the fact that she asserted her dominance as a free-willed human being. Riku, after all, had always been smothering and over protective of her. He was virtually incapable of believing she could take care of herself, and that she wasn't the weakling he viewed her to be. 'Until now' she thought with satisfaction, a small smile crossing her face. But the sudden change of emotion worried Kairi to a certain extent. She had never been that determined, that bold. She had also never been that strong, physically or emotionally. And yet, these changes made her feel good about herself.

Kairi didn't exactly know where she was headed, but she continued to walk anyway, just needing time to gather her thoughts, needing to get away from Riku. Kairi then stopped abruptly, raising her head to the sky. Was it darker? She thought. As she examined her surroundings more closely, she realized that it was. The sun was obscured, by black, ominous looking clouds. They appeared to be storm clouds...but yet Kairi sensed there was something different about them...something strange. The sky, in a matter of seconds, had grown many shades darker, and it appeared to be night. 'How is that possible?' Kairi thought, perplexed and worried. It was midday, and even during a storm, the skies never appeared to be this ominous. A chilling wind rose up, sending shutters down her spine. Worried, Kairi began a brisk jog back to Riku, needing to seek shelter.

Kairi froze in her tracks. Her eyes widened. A patch of sand in front of her feet had metamorphosed into what appeared to be a black, oily liquid. The liquid swirled and bubbled, increasing in volume as she stepped backwards. Kairi gripped her keyblade tighter in her hand. Kairi's mouth stood agape as a creature began to emerge from the ooze. Two black, monstrous paws reached out from the liquid, its black claws gripping the sand. Kairi muscles froze to the point where all she could do was gape. The monster pushed itself up from the black pool, revealing a black, wolflike head. It surfaced completely, and once on all fours the black pool underneath it faded. It was an animal like Kairi had never seen before. It was wolf-like, and completely black from head to toe, with the exception of its eyes, which were a deep, vibrant red, with pupils narrowed to small slits. Two long, black, blade-like horns grew from its head, and they shone in the dim lighting. Three sharp, long claws characterized its large paws. A black smoke seemed to emanate from the creature, giving it a ghostly appearance. To Kairi, it appeared to be an animal straight from hell.

It wolf-animal growled, a deep guttering sound that came from deep within its throat. It lips drew back, revealing sharp, white fangs. It took a step forward, growls still reverberating from its throat. Its glowing, cat-like eyes surveyed Kairi, watching her every move, analyzing her...taking in her fear, consuming it, drawing energy from it. It swished its thick, furry tail from side to side, the smoke surrounding it flickering and moving like a dark flame. Kairi was in a state of paralysis. Her mind told her to run, to scream...to do anything, but her body refused to obey the commands of her mind. She could only stare at the creature in fear...fixated, unable to draw herself away from its fiery gaze. In the next moments Kairi was unaware of what had happened. The creature lunged at her with unbelievable speed...her eyes shut...and the next thing her mind absorbed was a piercing howl that split the air. No pain came. She was not hurt...certainly not dead. She slowly allowed herself to open her eyes. The wolf-creature had erupted into a puff of black smoke that faded into the air, sliced by the power of a keyblade...whose owner was Sora. Sora held his blade poised, as if unconvinced that the creature was truly vanquished. Kairi's eyes welled with tears of happiness and relief, and she fell into his arms. He embraced her, his feelings being mutual to hers.


	5. The Battle

Sora found it difficult to withdraw from Kairi. It had been so long, as it seemed to him, since he had embraced her, been this close to her...seen her face. He backed away to look into her expressive, ocean-blue eyes. Everything he would ever want in life was in those iridescent eyes. To him, they held all the beauty in the world. After a few moments, Sora finally pulled himself out of his trance-like state.

"Kairi, are you okay?" he asked, scanning her for any sign of injury. She looked into his eyes, and the tears that had been there faded. His words seem to break her from her paralysis. She replied in a soft voice:

"I am, Sora. Thanks to you." It felt so good to say his name again, so good to just be near him. "Oh, Sora what was that thing? It was so horrible...I didn't know what to do. I was so scared."

"It was a Heartless, but none like I've ever seen. It was so strong, and it seemed...smarter, as if it could understand my actions, like it could see right through me...when it looked at me I felt..." Sora's eyes looked downward, tracing Kairi's arm...and the slender, pink keyblade at the end of it. Kairi caught his gaze and quickly jerked the keyblade behind her back, as if embarassed that she owned such a precious gift that she had no idea how to use. "Kairi...is that a keyblade?" Sora asked her in astonishment. Kairi looked at him, afraid he would react to it in the same way as Riku...with anger..fear. But the tone of Sora's question was different. It was surprised no doubt, but it held an undertone of...Kairi had difficulty pinpointing it. _An undertone of excitement_, she thought.

"Yes, Sora. I-I found it. I thought there was only one keyblade...but I guess I was wrong--" She was cut off by a pool of the bubbling black liquid that began to grow between them. She backed off, knowing what was coming next.

"There's more! Kairi, step back before it hurts you!" Sora commanded, his keyblade poised over the pool. Another wolf creature emerged, its fiery gaze fixated on Sora. This heartless did not hesitate, it quickly rushed towards Sora the instant its tail had left the pool of liquid. As the animal closed the distance between it and Sora, Sora swung his keyblade, but to his surprise, sliced nothing but air. The animal, with its incredible speed, had sprinted around Sora, and crouched to leap at him from behind, its clawed paws digging into the sand.

"Sora! Look out!" Kairi shouted. Sora whirled around and sliced the creature in midleap. It howled in detest and evaporated into black smoke. More black pools began to open up around them as more wolf creatures emerged, growling menacingly. The wolf-creatures circled around Sora, crouching low to the ground in a predatory manner, as if viewing Sora as prey, as fresh meat. The dark smoke that surrounded them seemed to engulf Sora. Sora stood poised and unwavering, his face hid any semblance of fear. But the creatures knew better. They could sense his fear, and they absorbed it, grew stronger from it. Kairi watched as Sora demolished each creature one by one, as they pounced on him, bit him, and lashed out with their clawed paws. _He's so brave. And here I am, just watching from a distance like a coward; too afraid to help. _But no matter how many of the creatures were vanquished, more would continue to emerge. And Kairi knew that Sora would not last for much longer. With each swipe of his keyblade, with each creature vanquished, Sora's fatigue became more apparent. His breaths were growing heavier, and his blows became weaker. Any yet he was driven on, determined to keep Kairi safe at all costs.

The creatures piled on top of him, growling and attacking menacingly. Kairi could watch no longer. With a sudden burst of courage that came from a combination of her love for Sora and the power of the keyblade, Kairi sprinted toward the creatures. Locking eyes with one of the creatures nearing Sora's throat, she swung the keyblade with considerable force. The blade sliced through the creature smoothly and quickly, and the creature quickly evaporated. At first she was stunned at what she had done, but her mind told her to strike again, to vanquish the creatures. And she obeyed the will of her mind. She sliced through another of the creatures, followed by another and another and another.


	6. A Keyhole Sealed

The Heartless, seeing the new threat, shifted their attention from Sora unto Kairi. In a fury she struck them down one by one as they pounced and attacked with an unearthly passion and hatred. However, her blows were abruptly hindered when pain suddenly shot through her leg like a wave as a wolf heartless lashed out with its fangs. She cried out as the blood began to run, warm and thick. The scent of first blood seemed to drive the Heartless into a frenzy. Though wincing with pain as the heartless continued to bite and scratch, she was relentless in her attack, desperately trying to keep the monsters away from Sora, who was still struggling with one particularly strong Heartless biting at his arm. The keyblade gave her a strength she had never experienced before, it gave her a will and a passion that she could not explain. And yet, there was no time to dwell on these abnormalities, for Kairi's mind was fixated on one thing and one thing alone: protecting Sora. And that was all that mattered. She scarcely noticed the pain and fatigue that were slowly overwhelming her, slowing her blows and reflexes, leaving her more open to attack. After what seemed to be hours of vigorous combat, later, Kairi stood panting, the Heartless appearing to have ceased their relentless ambush. She had suffered numerous wounds that steadily bled and weakened her tremendously, and her exhaustion became apparent to her. Her legs shook with exhaustion. Sora seemed to have recovered, having risen to his feet and vanquished the last of the creatures that had ambushed him. His face was bruised and scarred, and his limbs had taken a beating, damaged by the powerful wolf Heartless. Kairi tiredly drifted her gaze to him, and a look of relief crossed her face. He returned her gaze, and for a moment they locked eyes, and for a split shared a moment of understanding that told them everything they needed to know. She flashed him a quick, white smile, before collapsing into a heap in the sand, her keyblade still in grasp.

Sora was immediately at her side. His eyes widened, and a flurry of thoughts raced through his head.

"Kairi!" he shouted, shaking her in an attempt to revive her. She remained motionless, but yet her aura emanated with life. She was angelic in her unconscious state, her vibrant auburn hair framing her delicate, pale face, and her facial expression was one of a peacefully sleeping person. No, Kairi had not slipped away. She was very much alive, but such a great display of force had drained her energy beyond the point of exhaustion. She had pushed herself to the limit in an attempt to save Sora's life, and thus the keyblade had rewarded such a selfless act by saving her from a death she would have ultimately faced. Her soul, for the moment, had gone from her body once again, but the keyblade had made sure it had not gone forever.

Sora desperately hovered over her, panic gripping him like a vice. He splashed cool, ocean water across her face, but she remained unresponsive. To his relief, however, she was still breathing. He cursed himself for not arriving sooner, for not seeing that the Heartless would, of course, try to harm the one thing that mattered more to him than anything else. And now, they had succeeded in harming her, and he believed it was entirely his fault. He had not taken into consideration that when Kairi had been given a keyblade, their destinies had intertwined.

Before long, Donald and Goofy had caught up with him, and judging by their appearance Sora knew they had been in a situation similar to his own. The expression on their faces quickly morphed into one of shock upon seeing Kairi's damaged, unconscious body. The period of silence between the trio drew out until Donald could finally make the words come to his dry mouth.

"S-Sora, i-is she dead?" Donald questioned, needing to know the answer.

"No, Donald, I don't think so," Sora replied solemnly. "But I think we need to get her someplace safe." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. Bending down, he lifted Kairi's unconscious form from the sand, her body laying limply in his arms. Sora felt tears coming to his eyes for letting such harm come to Kairi. Even worse, he thought, Kairi had put her life in danger for him, and that was what tugged at his heart the most. _I should have been the one to protect her...but I failed to help her when she needed me the most. _He started away towards one of the few small huts scattered along the beach a few miles away. Donald followed closely behind him. Goofy's eyes were fixated on the pink keyblade still lying in the sand. He picked it up, cradling it in his arms, in full understanding of the destiny of Kairi that Sora had failed to pick up on. Kairi and Sora were destined to fight the Heartless together.

From the underbrush of the lush tropical rainforest near the beach, two ocean-blue eyes watched Goofy warily before disappearing into the trees.

Little did any of the group know, the keyhole to destiny island had been sealed, and the Heartless could no longer wreak havoc on destiny island thanks to the combined efforts of Kairi and Sora. It was the first of many keyholes that needed to be sealed.


	7. The Challenge

Kairi was acutely aware that something was very wrong. She was bounding through the lush, forested area of destiny island, not knowing how she had ended up there. She remembered sharp pain, and then blackness. Shortly after she had woken up, but now she felt she wasn't herself. Something, she knew deep inside herself, was definitely wrong. She was moving through the forest with an unusual speed and with unusual agility. She knew she should be with Sora, she knew she should be very tired and in much pain from the previous battle, but she was neither with Sora nor in any pain at all, and her mind immediately registered all this as an abnormality. The tangled forest suddenly opened up into a clearing with a shallow pool of water at its center. Kairi remembered coming here before sometime in her childhood, but that memory seemed so distant to her now. She suddenly became aware of the thirst that gnawed at her. She walked over to the pool and peered into the water...and she screamed. Actually, she had attempted such a scream, but all that came from her throat was a high pitched bark. What she saw reflected into the pool boggled her mind. _It's impossible...I couldn't possibly be...no, it can't happen. It's not happening, _she tried to reassure herself. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but the reflection that greeted her once again was unmistakable. Her face was that of a wolf heartless.

Trying to register this, she peered at her reflection more closely. There was no denying it now. She had a sleek wolf's head, characterized by the two, long pointy horns that the wolf heartless had. Her body as well was that of the wolf heartless in all its glory, with claws and all, and yet something was different. Her thick fur, unlike that of the Heartless, was a snow white. Her horns as well had a pearly white sheen to them. And her eyes...her eyes were the same color as they had always been, a deep blue hue, not a menacing red like that of the Heartless. She had the long, powerful, well-muscled legs of the wolf heartless, and her body emanated a white smoke that flickered around her like fire with a life of its own. Kairi was mesmerized by her reflection, still unable to believe what she had become. But there it was, concrete proof staring right at her from the crystalline water. _How did this happen?_ She wondered. _How could this have possibly happened?_ It was then that it came to her. Her mind suddenly flooded with the memories of excruciating pain and overwhelming exhaustion. She remembered her vision fogging, and then she had lost consciousness.

_Am I dead? Was I somehow reincarnated into...this?_ She shuddered at the very thought of living an entire life as this creature. _Even if I am stuck like this...maybe there's a way I can be normal again. Maybe Donald can use his magic to help me...or maybe Sora can help me._ With that thought she knew she needed to find Sora, but then another thought stopped her in her tracks. _How would Sora know it's me? What if I'm nothing in his eyes but another Heartless, and he tries to hurt me?_ Though she feared this, she knew she had no other choice but to find him, and to find out what had happened to her and see if there was a possibility of her ever being normal again. If not, she assumed she would have to be this way forever. With that, she bounded off the way she had come, her newfound agility and speed carrying her easily through the thick underbrush.

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By the time Sora had reached the small, run-down hut where he had once lived, he was almost sure that Kairi was dead. Her body was lifeless, her head hung limply from his arms, and she didn't appear to breathing. He looked down at her with an obvious look of concern on his face, and Donald and Goofy immediately noticed this and followed his gaze to Kairi. Sora entered the single-roomed, circular hut with its low roof and distinctive scent of salt and sand. Almost immediately memories of his previous life overpowered him. Large conch shells and small trinkets of his past decorated the sturdy walls of sticks and mud, and he remembered how Kairi had carefully done this elaborate decorating when he had been idly looking for fish along the shore. Drawing his mind away from these memories and to more pressing matters, Sora laid Kairi down on a makeshift bed of feathers, leaves, and other materials. He put his head to her chest, and was relieved to hear a steady, but slow, heartbeat. He looked back at Goofy and Donald's concerned faces and nodded.

"She's still alive. I'm hoping she regains consciousness soon but--" Sora stopped himself at the presence of a tall shadow that blocked the sunlight entering the hut through the open doorway. Riku's face, confused and shocked, surveyed the familiar crew. All eyes went immediately to Riku. He looked first at Goofy, followed by Donald, and then Sora, and then his eyes rested on Kairi's apparently lifeless-looking form. His face instantly molded from confusion to utter surprise and rage. His ice-blue eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched.

"What have you done to her?" Riku asked menacingly, more of a demand than a question. Sora instantly got to his feet.

"Riku, it's not what it looks like. The Heartless...they attacked her..there was nothing I could do." Sora said depressingly, his head bowing with shame at the remembrance of his failure to protect Kairi. He met Riku's cold gaze "I'm almost sure she'll regain consciousness so--"

"This is all your fault!" he shouted, jabbing an accusing finger at him. "If you hadn't ever come back here and gave her that keyblade...and convinced her to help you with your little mind games--"

"Mindgames?" Sora shouted back, his anger building. "Riku, I never gave her that keyblade. I never said _a word _to her about helping me. The Heartless ambushed me, she got in the way, and tried to help me. I couldn't do anything about it!"

"I'm sure you had something to do with this, and even if you didn't,_ maybe _if you weren't always concerned about the Heartless and your little quest to save the world or whatever you do with your little keyblade you'd be more concerned about the people around you. Maybe you'd actually _care_ about Kairi! Quite frankly, however, it doesn't look like you care for her at all, if you couldn't even protect her from a few Heartless. Some Keyblade Master you are, Sora." Riku stated with a caustic, acrimonious tone that burned Sora inside._ How dare he accuse me of not caring about Kairi? How __**dare**__ he, Sora thought. _Sora was burning inside, his thoughts and functions were overwhelmed by fury. His teeth clenched, and his body tightened with rage.

"You were always jealous, Riku. From the moment I received this Keyblade, you were always jealous. I saw the envious looks, the way you avoided my gaze. That's why you turned to the Heartless. You wanted power, you wanted to be better than me. You couldn't ever stand that Kairi loved me more than you. You couldn't take it, Riku. And that makes you weak. Your jealousy, your lust for power. That makes you weak, Riku. And that's why I was chosen as a Keyblade master, not you. And now, Kairi's been chosen, too. Because she's strong at heart. She's not driven by jealousy or rage. She's pure, and she's meant to be with _me_, Riku. Not you. And you're just going to have to learn to face that," Sora stated. Now it was out. The feelings they'd been concealing, the words the former friends had always wanted to say. But the truth was that they had never been true friends. From youth they had been rivals, and they both knew it. The pressure and hostility between them just needed time to build, before it reached its boiling point, and before the hostility between them finally reared its ugly head.

They stood tense and grave, their bodies rigid, their eyes meeting each other in a hard, unwavering stare, neither of them willing to look away. Riku's face reddened with anger.

"You want to see who's right for Kairi? Let's find out. Right now. We'll fight, just like we used to. But this time it'll be for real. Whoever wins, gets Kairi. Whoever loses, stays out of Kairi's life. Forever. How about it Sora? And another thing, let's do this without your precious keyblade," Riku said challengingly, gesturing toward the Keyblade Sora tightly gripped. Still not letting his eyes leave Riku, he relinquished his grip on the weapon, letting it clatter to the ground. Goofy and Donald gave a quiet gasp. Sora, with determination in his eyes, flashed Riku a sly smile.

"Let's go," Sora replied.


	8. A Light in the Darkness

A/T: If you are enjoying the story or have something to say about it--don't be too cruel, though, please review. I appreciate constructive criticism and would like to know if a sequel would be in order after the conclusion.

Moments before, Kairi had left the thick forest that characterized the center of the island. She was now galloping across the sand with an unimaginable ease. Her muscles were more powerful than she had expected, stronger than she could have ever dreamed. Her clawed paws gripped the sand as she ran, giving her body an ability to reach speeds no ordinary creature could ever hope to match. She remained in disbelief over what had happened, and continued to muse over why she had become what she was. _A Heartless, of all things! s_he thought. As much as being such a creature felt like a reality, she had a nagging feeling that part of her was somewhere else, that she wasn't truly in the form of this creature in heart and soul. Kairi felt that part of her mind was somewhere else, but couldn't formulate any reason to explain such an anomalous sensation. As the worry and anticipation of events to come began to build inside her, she took comfort in the steady beat of her paws drumming against the ground and the regular pattern of breathing that kept her going. Before long she was able to spot the cluster of small huts sheltered on the shore near the pristine, baby blue ocean. _Would Sora be there? Would he be looking for me? _She thought.

It was then that her ears pricked up at a sound, more specifically a voice. Her sharp ears could make it out clearly. It was Sora's voice…as well as Riku's. Worry welled up inside her. _Would Sora try to hurt me?_ _Would Riku? _Again, she realized this may be her only chance to get Sora to help her. She had to try. Her courage building, she quickened her pace.

The voices were clear now. It was most certainly the voices of Riku and Sora. They sounded hostile and angry, and yet Kairi sensed something else. Fear. She could smell it, its pungent scent filled her nostrils. Her mind became overwhelmed with the scent of fear. Her senses became keen to every aspect of it. And she found herself uncontrollably drawn to it. She wanted to get closer to the scent, wanted to take it in. Now she could see Riku and Sora. They were on the beach outside of one of the huts, standing toward each other, poised, as if ready for battle. She knew they were about to fight each other, but found she didn't care. Something else was taking over her mind, something she couldn't control. The scent of fear changed her, she felt control of herself slipping, but she didn't care. The scent of fear was stronger now, it was unbearable. She detected a greater potency of fear emanating from Riku, and how she wanted to get closer to that fear. She speed was unimaginable now. She bounded towards Riku, in full intention of attack.

It was Sora who spotted the Heartless first. His eyes widened in full recognition of what the malicious creature was as well as its target.

"Riku, look out!" he screamed. Riku whirled around to face the creature, but it was already much too late to react.

Kairi's lips drew back in a snarl, flashing long white fangs. The animalistic instinct had taken over, the evil violent ways of the Heartless had polluted her mind. She leapt onto Riku, forcing him to the ground with one swift movement. Her front paws were on his chest, claws digging into the soft skin. Guttural growls emanated from her throat. Riku stared up into her eyes, horrified, shock paralyzing him. His fear grew, and Kairi, sensing this, took in his fear like a life-giving elixir. Kairi couldn't regain control, couldn't force the still human part of her mind to resurface. She was rapidly losing the battle between herself and the strong instincts of the Heartless.

Riku's throat was so pale and soft, so vulnerable, so open to attack. His growing fear was driving the Heartless part of her mind into a frenzy. She wanted to kill, wanted to end his life. She opened her jaws to bite.

"Leave him alone!" Sora shouted at the Heartless. Kairi whipped her head in his direction and gave threatening snarl. But Sora wasn't phased. Seeing a new, more challenging target, Kairi stepped down off the trembling Riku and advanced toward Sora with an air of confidence. Her subconscious mind registered the human to be Sora, and it pleaded with the Heartless portion of her brain.

_No, don't hurt him!, _her subconscious mind begged. But the Heartless part of Kairi's mind was stronger, more dominant, and her subconscious self was losing.

_Kill! Kill! Kill!_ The Heartless instinct shouted. _Cut his throat, plunge him into Darkness! _

_No! _Kairi'shuman mind said_. I can't!_

Sora gave the crouching Heartless a piercing stare. As much as he grew to dislike Riku, he remembered the friendship they once had, remembered the blissful times of their childhood. He couldn't let Riku get hurt. He couldn't fail to protect another one of those he cared about against these monsters.

Kairi's ears were laid back against her head, her lips were drawn back, and her muscles rippled with energy and power. The white smoke around her was like a roaring fire rather than flickering flames. And yet, she wasn't able to detect fear in the human that so boldly stood up to her. _This human is different_, her animalistic instincts said. _He shows no fear._

Sora met her gaze bravely, analyzing the creature. Without his Keyblade, he was powerless, and he knew it. The Heartless knew it as well, and yet it seemed hesitant to attack, as if it was fighting with another part of itself. It had the power to kill him at any moment, but it had yet to do so. Sora realized that this Heartless was different from the others not only in appearance, he thought as he observed the white fur, but in nature. He then looked into its eyes more closely. They were not the fiery, hellish red of the typical Heartless, but a deep blue hue, eyes that were sparkling and beautiful. _Those eyes..._he thought._ I know those eyes anywhere. _In those eyes, he saw a hint of recognition, but it was being overpowered by a stronger force. Sora suddenly understood.

_The Heartless is Kairi. _He remembered being in a similar situation, remembered being trapped in the body of a Heartless. Kairi had lost her soul to the Heartless in battle, Sora realized, but the Keyblade had saved her from death by preserving her soul in the form of a Heartless. But as he looked more closely he saw that Kairi's soul was fighting a losing battle with the devious mind of the Heartless. Before long, Sora knew, her soul would be swallowed up completely. _I have to save her,_ he thought. _I can't let her slip away._ Sora stood firmly as the creature bent low to ground, ready to pounce.

Donald and Goofy had been watching from a distance in utter shock and worry. Goofy looked on in understanding, knowing the true identity of the peculiar Heartless merely by its actions. He looked down at the pink keyblade in his arms, and realized that its pulsations were growing weaker; the strength that emanated from it seemed to be dimming.

Donald, aware of Sora's precarious position, was compelled to act, to protect Sora from the beast that threatened his life.

Sora saw Donald raise his staff before he cast the spell. His mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Donald, no!" But it was too late.

"Firaga!" Donald shouted in his high pitched, nasally voice, the fireball erupting from the end of his staff.

Kairi felt the sudden rush of fear that emanated from Sora, and that was the only impulse she needed to lunge. But she was suddenly driven back as the fireball seared her hide in a direct hit to her side. Blinding pain pulsated through her. She collapsed in the sand, sides heaving, her jaws clenched in pain.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled.

The word 'Kairi' penetrated the recesses of her mind, and recognition resurfaced. Memories of her life and who she was came back. But her mind was clouding, and she felt her body dissipating into smoke. Kairi knew she was dying.

"There is always light in the Darkness, Kairi! Go towards the light!" came Sora's desperate cries.

In Kairi's clouding mind, she heard those words echoing:

_There is always light in the Darkness_!

_Go towards the light… _

_Go towards the light…_

_Go towards the light…_

And Kairi remembered going toward a flickering light that she felt had always been there, that other part of her mind she had felt was somewhere else. And then her mind went black.


	9. A Destiny Fulfilled

Kairi was in a world of blackness, a world of no light or feeling. She felt she had lost herself completely, for all around her there was blackness. And yet she knew death was not upon her, for her mind was still working, still thinking and wondering. Her mind searched for a sign, any sign that there was still an outside world beyond this darkness.

_Kairi_, said a voice. It echoed through her mind, that barely audible word reverberated throughout Kairi. She could not be sure whether she had imagined it or not, but she listened for it again.

_Kairi_, it said. The voice beckoned to her, wanting her to go to it. Kairi wanted to get closer to the voice. She focused on it, wanting to get nearer to it, to find its source.

_Kairi_, beckoned the voice, but a bit louder. Kairi followed the voice with her mind, tried to will herself to concentrate on it. The word 'Kairi' came again from the blackness of her mind, but it was clearer, and more audible.

Slowly gradually, Kairi began to regain consciousness, following the voice that so relentlessly called out to her. Her senses began to return to her, though not as acute as before. Before long, Kairi was able to sense light, a soft, pale light that warmed the back of her eyelids. It was then she knew she was alive, that she hadn't completely lost contact with herself. Just how she had managed to live she did not know, but she wanted her chance at life, she wanted to grasp the real world, and with that determination, she brought herself back into the world

Kairi's eyes abruptly fluttered open. Her vision was at first clouded, and then it cleared to reveal the face of Sora hovering over her, his eyes wide with surprise and relief. For a second panic gripped her. Was she still a Heartless? She looked down at herself to see a human body, her body, rather than that of a wolf Heartless. Relief overtook her. It was then she understood what had happened. She understood that that other part of her mind was here, in this body. She had always been here, but her conscious mind had been trapped in the Heartless after nearly dying. When her Heartless form died, she had to go to that other part of her that was still alive, by following the light in the Darkness, just as Sora had told her to. _Sora knew it was me, _Kairi realized_. He knew it was me, even when I was a Heartless, and he saved my life. Even now, by calling my name, he had saved me from being trapped in that state of darkness_

Sora briefly embraced her.

"Oh, Kairi, I thought you were you gone…I thought you'd never wake up again. I'm so sorry Kairi…I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from the Heartless. I--"

Kairi silenced him by putting a finger to his lips.

"It's ok Sora," she said, flashing him a dazzling smile. "I'm alright now. Everything's going to be ok." Sora nodded, agreeing with her. Goofy, watching from the background, stepped forward with the pink Keyblade in his arms, and handed it to Kairi with such carefulness that one would think it were made of glass. Kairi took from him, putting her hand in the heart-shaped handle. She then remembered the destiny she had to fulfill with the precious gift. Sora looked at her in understanding, and they both knew that their destinies had interlaced. Kairi looked around, and then remembered Riku, what she had done to him. She clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Sora, did I…did I hurt Riku?" she asked, needing to know the answer.

"No, but he ran off shortly after your Heartless form disappeared," Sora stated simply, clearly not knowing where exactly Riku had gone. But Kairi had a feeling she knew where Riku had gone, and she had a feeling she would see him again in the future. A moment of silence drew between the four individuals. It was Sora who moved first. He got up, moving to the open doorway of the hut. Kairi followed. The two stepped out onto the glistening beach, the sand ablaze with the colors of the setting sun on the distant horizon. The waves of the ocean were miniscule and placid, lapping at Kairi's feet ever so gently. The two looked out toward the beautiful ocean water. Sora broke the silence.

"I guess this means we have to stop the Heartless. Together," Sora stated. Kairi smiled briefly.

"Together," she replied, savoring the word. "Sora, do you know how I was able to come back to my body?"

Sora looked at her in wonder, waiting for her reply.

"I followed the light," Kairi finished. Sora and Kairi smiled at each other, and then leaned inwards to meet each other in a long, passionate kiss.

The two keybearers stood on the beach for a long while, taking in the beauty of the place that was once their home, and in a way, still was, and perhaps in the future, would once again be.

It was not the keyblades that had destined these two to be together. Their destinies had intertwined from the moment they had first locked eyes, many years ago. The keyblades had merely recognized the purity and strength of their hearts, and it was this that truly destined them to be together, that truly destined them to be the ones that could stop the Heartless.


End file.
